Meebo builds ad network around chat

Web-based instant electronic messaging service meebo is edifice an ad web spanning chat rooms on a figure of Web services partners, including Piczo, alteration3, Social undertaking, and Tagged.

Using an API (define), meebo spouse and other publishers can embed IM-capable chat windows within their sites. Meebo will sell and serve ads in those windows and pay a 50 percentage revenue share to its spouse.

While the rooms are ready for visitors, meebo plans to spend the first one-fourth developing and testing various ad formats and ramping up its sales operation, according to VP of concern Martin Green. He said meebo is in talks with additional distribution spouse and agencies.

Ads are targeted across the web by age, grammatical gender, interest, location, behavior, and enrollment information.

Rooms supported with the API will work in much the same way as rooms implemented last springtime for blip.tv, CNET, NBC universal joint, RockYou and Sugar publication. The difference is "those rooms were hand built," Green said, adding meebo will continue custom integrations like those it's already built for Showtime's "Dexter" and a Kanye West album release party. The platform allows content owners to watercourse music, videos, games, and other applications within the embedded application. It also enables activities like "co-shopping."

Demand for the API has been driven largely by community and sociable networking sites, Green said. But he added news sites and blogs have shown involvement as well, and will be able to create new rooms programmatically, meaning a offprint room for each story, if desired. "People will read the story and want to talk with each other," said Green. He likened the ability to behavior an IM chat alternatively of post remark to "a conversation versus post-it notes."